Review: “The Car” by Arctic Monkeys

For the first time in four years, Arctic Monkeys released a new album, “The Car,” on Oct. 21, 2022. This album features 10 songs, three of which released beforehand as singles. Having been a fan of the band for years, I was satisfied with the album; however, I was expecting something different.

Arctic Monkeys’ most popular album, “AM,” has a signature sound that is more classic rock, so most fans expected “The Car” to be the same. It ended up sounding more like their album “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.” The band uses a certain guitar strum and distortion in their songs, giving them their signature sound. “The Car” falls more under the orchestral rock/indie genre and has a slower tempo than some of their other, more popular songs. Even though the vibe is slightly different, the new album is still excellent.

My favorite songs on the album currently are “Body Paint” and “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am,” both of which were singles released prior to the album, and “Perfect Sense.” The band's frontman, Alex Turner, wrote most of the songs.

Before “The Car” was released, all Arctic Monkeys’ albums reached #1 on the U.K. top charts. Many songs on the album have climbed to the top of my favorite’s list, but others just do not compare to their older music. “The Car” was overall a fantastic album and I would rate it a 3.5/5.